Great Literature

Charming, vibrant, witty and edifying, The Life of Samuel Johnson is a work of great obsession and boundless reverence. The literary critic Samuel Johnson was 54 when he first encountered Boswell; the friendship that developed spawned one of the greatest biographies in the history of world literature. The book is full of humorous anecdote and rich characterization, and paints a vivid picture of 18th-century London, peopled by prominent personalities of the time.

Morgan and his friends won the right to be a part of an expedition to the Tower of Power. Part of a raid group that was led by two Great Guilds, and had the intention of conquering the Tower. But, no one who had ventured beyond the third floor had ever returned. Adventuring might be a dangerous profession, and ascended might encounter death at every turn, but there is a reason why most do not attempt to climb the Tower. For most ascended going into the Tower is a risk not worth taking, in opinions of some, it was equal to suicide.

This is the story of a close, loving family splintered by the violent ideologies of Europe between the wars. Jessica was a Communist; Debo became the Duchess of Devonshire; Nancy was one of the best-selling novelists of her day; the ethereally beautiful Diana was the most hated woman in England; and Unity Valkyrie, born in Swastika, Alaska, would become obsessed with Adolf Hitler.

The journey to Yenice is long, and Luciel has a big task ahead of him. Charged with reviving a long-defunct branch of the Healer’s Guild in a nation of beastfolk, the S-rank healer’s mission was never going to be easy. But things are made even more complicated when it is revealed that the country is home to its own host of problems, and even Luciel’s reputation isn’t enough to keep trouble away.

A storm gathers to the west as the enemy grows stronger. The orphan Chip and his companions flee eastward on the One Road. On their journey, the wizard Xander senses strange activity in Cave Mountain, the Unnamed One’s ancestral lair. The small party decides to brave Fang Forest to seek out the cause, but in so doing, they come face to face with an evil more profound than anyone could imagine.

The East Riding of Yorkshire 1709. The tiny village of North Burton. It’s March. In years to come they will call it The Great Frost. Meg and Nana know the cold will get worse – because everything always does. Meg’s husband is away at war, the roof is about to fall in and Carrick, the big rector up at St Michael’s, says the cold is a punishment for their sins. When a wounded highwayman bangs on their door in the night, and they take him in, they don’t realise just how much worse it will get.

Daniel Defoe (1659-1661 to 1731) was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. The Life, Adventures, and Piracies of Captain Singleton is one of his earliest novels. The narrative describes the life of an Englishman, stolen from a well-to-do family as a child and raised by Gypsies, who eventually makes his way to sea.

In 1727, Stefan Silbermann is a grief-stricken 13-year-old, struggling with the death of his mother and his removal to a school in distant Leipzig. Despite his father’s insistence that he try not to think of his mother too much, Stefan is haunted by her absence, and, to make matters worse, he’s bullied by his new classmates. But when the school’s cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, takes notice of his new pupil’s beautiful singing voice and draws him from the choir to be a soloist, Stefan’s life is permanently changed.

Frank and Joe Hardy are excited to see the new mail planes landing near Bayport, until an out-of-control aircraft nearly crashes right on top of them! Their quick thinking saves their lives...but not the plane. And the angry airmail pilot, Giles Ducroy, blames the Hardy boys for his crash! Worse, the boys soon discover Ducroy has fallen in with two shady crooks, Ollie Jacobs and Newt Pipps, who are plotting something big. Their mysterious scheme might strike right at the heart of Bayport's booming airmail business.

A pyramid predating all known cultures appears without warning. Its discovery throws into question everything we know about the origins of mankind. Inside lies incredible technology, proof of a culture far more advanced than our own. Something dark lurks within, eager to resume a war as old as mankind. When it is unleashed it heralds the end of our species’ reign

Soon to be a Major Motion Picture National Book Award Finalist—Fiction In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction...

Long ago, a mysterious event known as The Great Forget ravaged Earth. Magic was born. Millennia later, a baby with red eyes is abandoned at the gates of a small kingdom whose sole mandate is to guard the Pass of Death. The young orphan, Chip, is condemned by a spiteful king to a life of misery in the castle kitchens, looked upon with disdain and treated as an outcast. In an unexpected turn, Chip catches the eye of the wise wizard Xander, who sees something special in him.

An anthology of over 40 classic nature poems, read by some of our finest actors. The majesty of nature has always inspired poets, and this collection contains a selection of the very best verses praising the natural world.

When words of love do not come to you on their own, then listen to these letters. Complete, actual love letters of great men like Lord Byron, John Keats, and Voltaire. Leaders like Henry VIII, George Washington, and Napoléon, who wrote to his beloved Joséphine, "I awake consumed with thoughts of you...." Artists like van Gogh, Mozart, and Beethoven, who famously penned, "Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved...."

It has been a few months since the Harmonicandy was chosen as the winner of the nationwide candymaking contest. Forever changed by the experience, Logan, Miles, Philip, and Daisy have returned to their regular lives. But when presented with the chance to go on tour to promote the new candy, each has a very different reason for hitting the road. The stakes are a lot higher than they thought, however, and a decades-old secret is revealed.

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892), one of the most popular of poets, is celebrated in 2009. Works such as The Charge of the Light Brigade, Crossing the Bar and Tears, Idle Tears have made him an internationally famous figure, and the second most quoted writer of all time (after Shakespeare).

Under the Great British Baking Contest tent, the competition's heating up to be crowned best baker in all of Britain. For amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson, there are mysteries, secrets, and lies, even murders to solve. As a fledgling witch, Poppy's having enough trouble controlling her sponge cake, never mind trying to control her powers. Besides solving crime, Poppy's also trying to uncover the mystery surrounding her own background. Will she discover who she really is before she gets sent home? Or worse?

WINNER OF THE 2015 BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends psychological suspense and supernatural horror, reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist...

Ever wish you could swim with a great white shark? Step into Finnlee's life, as she transforms into the giant predator. Dive in and learn all about a great white shark's habitat, body, superpowers, and more—all from a great white shark's perspective.

The orphan Chip, aided by the weapons master Garth Stone and the wizard Xander, races to prepare the Kingdom of Vanalon, humanity’s westernmost outpost, against impending doom. An ancient evil, confined for three thousand years, is breaking free from its prison, unleashing hordes of terrifying creatures upon the unsuspecting humans in the beautiful green valley. Chip, accompanied by his loyal friend Chase, embarks on a perilous mission to bring the surrounding villagers behind the safety of the city walls, but they have miscalculated.